Lemonade and Unicorns
by Lights In The Dark
Summary: After a mission, a squabble between Ruby and Weiss takes an interesting turn as Blake is forced to mediate. Humor (hopefully), but not a lot of plot. May contain a hint of WhiteRose. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, hypothetical reader! This is my first published fanfiction. It takes place before season 3, so everyone is still at Beacon. (I'm a little late, but this was written a while ago. I just never got around to posting it.) This isn't meant to be taken seriously; it's just my attempt at lighthearted humor.**

The door to team RWBY's dorm room slammed open, making way for a fuming heiress and a red-clad girl who was nearly dragging the other down in her attempts to beg for forgiveness. Blake followed close behind, the ever-present voice of reason (whether she wanted to be or not). A few moments later, a battered and completely _exhausted_ Yang appeared, only to collapse straight into bed. Within moments, snoring filled the room. It was loud enough to make a full-sized bear jealous, but it did nothing to drown out the sound of Weiss's voice.

"Absolutely not!"

"I said sorry!"

"Oh, you said sorry! Well, I'll just have to forgive you, then. That definitely made up for the fact that **you almost killed me.** "

"Let it go, Weiss. She was just trying to help." Usually, Blake would've left the talking to Yang, but a glance at her partner's bunk confirmed that she'd be running solo on this one.

"How?! How in the world was that even remotely helpful?!"

"It was an accident! You have to believe me, Weiss!"

"Fine. Then do me a favor and explain to me how one can _accidently_ pour lemonade _**on a stab wound!**_ "

"It just happened! I didn't mean to!"

"Where did you even get-"

"ENOUGH!" The room was shocked into silence by the faunus's shout. (Except for Yang, who snored away, oblivious to the argument around her.) Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "You two have been going back and forth for the last _six hours_." This statement was accompanied by a glare at both of the younger girls. Weiss huffed and looked away, while Ruby occupied herself with her sand-covered boots.

"So, we are going to end this right now, like adults." Before Ruby could say anything, Blake cut her off. "Ruby, being an adult is more than drinking milk." Blake ignored the pout and continued. "Now, Ruby is going to tell her version of what happened and Weiss. Isn't. Going. To say. Anything. Are we clear?" A pair of crossed arms said otherwise, but she ignored them. "Ruby, tell us what happened."

"Yes! I love telling stories!" Ruby exclaimed. She waved her hands in front of her as if casting an illusion and lowered her voice to a level where Weiss and Blake could barely hear. The two couldn't stop themselves from leaning closer, which Ruby acknowledged with a barely noticeable grin. "It all started on a cool day in spring when I was summoned to Professor Ozpin's office..."

"Ruby, we know this part already. Stop stalling and get to the point." Weiss's interruption shattered the spell and earned her a pout from the scythe-wielder. Crossing her arms, Weiss refused to budge.

"But Weiss..." she whined as she put on her best puppy-eyes expression. "You can't tell a story without exposition. That's like... That's like eating vanilla ice cream without strawberries!"

Weiss turned her head to avoid the wide eyes that were boring into her soul. Ruby wanted to pull out her secret weapon, huh? Well, two could play at that game. Weiss took a deep breath, then looked Ruby straight in the eyes. Bringing forth all the steel and iciness she could muster, which was nothing short of terrifying, she let lose a single word. "Ruby..."

At this point, the younger girl would usually run for cover, but she was actually innocent this time. Well, okay, she did pour lemonade on Weiss's wound, but it was an accident! Determined not to stand this kind of injustice, her puppy-dog stare stood firm against the icy onslaught.

For a moment, the air literally shimmered between them. Never before had the two used their mighty powers against each other at the same time, but the day had finally come. An age-old conflict would see its end. It was warmth against ice, innocence against authority, red against white, and silver against blue. One final battle would determine who would triumph, and who would surrender in shame. It was the battle that would shape the entire world. This battle could be- no, it was -the single most important moment in the history of Remnant!

Blake yawned.

The two girls stared, not moving a muscle, as the energy between them built exponentially. The silence stretched on, and even Yang's snoring got quieter as the two got closer and closer to the breaking point. Then, just before all hell broke loose, Blake decided that she would rather die some other day. She casually waved her hand between the two, breaking their focus and preventing the apocalypse. Ruby and Weiss collapsed heavily onto the floor, unable to find the strength to stand.

Blake eyed the partners with mild concern. Ruby was shivering like she'd been sent to the arctic in a swimsuit. Blake could have sworn that the tips of her fingers were blue. Weiss, on the other hand, wore a dopey smile and looked around the room in wonder. Blake decided to focus on Ruby first, grabbing the girl's blankets and tossing them onto their owner. Then she turned her attention to the heiress.

 _Okay. Frostbite, I can deal with. But what exactly do I do about... that?_

Hoping it was just a temporary problem and that there was no way she could be sued for it, Blake waved her hand in front of Weiss's face. Nothing. "Weiss," she called. Blue eyes slid over amber ones without so much as slowing. "Weiss," she repeated, snapping her fingers. This time, Weiss managed to maintain eye contact, with difficulty.

Blake gave a rare smile, relieved to get a response. That relief was shortly shattered into thousands of pieces as Weiss's eyes lit up and she excitedly squealed, "Oh my dust. BLAKE, YOU'RE A UNICORN!"

Dead. She was so dead.

"Blake, why didn't you say anything?"

There were kamikaze pilots with a better chance of living.

"Is it because you were afraid of what I'd think? Well, there was no need for you to worry. I will have you know that I _love_ unicorns."

Even if Weiss recovered, she wouldn't allow anyone to live to tell this tale.

"Whoa, is that desk made of chocolate? I _love_ chocolate."

Deciding that it would be best to enjoy her last day, Blake grabbed a book and nimbly leapt onto Yang's bunk (her own was taken by said brawler). As she made herself comfortable, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

Weiss would want revenge after being reduced to this. It wouldn't matter who was truly at fault, only that someone paid the price. Ruby was the obvious target, but Weiss secretly had a soft spot for the other girl. Blake was another story. While the relationship between the two had been strengthened after the White Fang incident, it was nothing compared to the bond between partners. But, if Blake had some way of ensuring that the heiress kept her distance, say, blackmail material… well, Weiss would need to find someone else to vent her anger out on.

Smirking, Blake took out her scroll and set it to record.

* * *

For the first time in _ages,_ Yang woke up to the pleasant chirping of birds. There was no ear-splitting whistle, no whiny yelling, no resounding _thump_ when a certain someone tripped over her own feet, and no insistent tapping of heels. Instead, it was a nice, peaceful morning. Sunlight was gently streaming through the window, and everything was perfect.

Yang took a few seconds to savor the moment, then leaped out of bed with a dazzling smile, ready to start her day.

" _Good morning team RW-_ " Yang took in the scene before her. Ruby and Weiss were both on the floor, sound asleep. They were covered by Ruby's blanket, but she could see that they were still wearing their fighting clothes. That was weird, sure, but what rendered Yang speechless was the fact that the ice queen was resting her pretty little head on Ruby's chest. The white-haired vixen was making moves on her innocent sister!

Before Yang could step forward and drag the heiress off Ruby, Blake cleared her throat. Yang turned and was unsurprised to see the cat faunus standing next to her. (You get used to it after a while.) The fire within her instantly calmed. It had learned that it was best to listen when Blake decided to get involved. So, when Blake inclined her head to the two sleeping girls in a way that said ' _look closer'_ , Yang did as she was told.

Sure enough, she had missed something in her rush to defend her little sister from the wicked witch. Ruby was smiling in her sleep and holding the white-haired girl close. She looked almost... content.

Well, this changed everything.

Yang looked over to her partner, and her partner looked over to her. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, Blake stepped aside to reveal a bucket of ice-cold water. The grin that spread across Yang's face was without equal, and the screeches that followed could've shattered stone.

Looks like that blackmail would come in handy after all.

 **A/N: In case you want a little background, team RWBY was sent on a mission to a beach to fight a sea-grimm and save the people there. Yang had to take the brunt of the fighting, relying heavily on her semblance. Still, Weiss's aura was depleted and she took a stab wound. (Nothing life-threatening, but not a scratch, either.) After pulling off an incredibly dramatic finishing move, RBY rushed to Weiss's aid. Blake served as the medic and sent Ruby to get fresh water (mostly to get rid of the younger girl; she was panicking and needed a distraction). After desperately blurring from place to place and finding nothing, Ruby came across a lemonade stand. (Yes, the old shopkeeper owns that, too.) Deciding that it was better than nothing, Ruby returned and ended up spilling it over Weiss's wound. A six-hour flight back to Beacon gave Weiss a lot of time to… express her dissatisfaction. I was going to describe all of this in the story (fleshing it out and emphasizing the funny parts), but then the staring contest idea came out of nowhere, and I didn't see a way to incorporate both without making it unnecessarily long. So, what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know I marked this story as complete, but I've decided to continue it. (Credit goes to MABfan11 for convincing me.) I had at least half of this written months ago, but college and lots of procrastination are not a great mix. (Yes, college. That's probably surprising, but it's true.) Sadly, I got sidetracked (again), so the description of RWBY's epic beachfront adventure will have to wait. Instead of that, you can see the aftermath of Blake's prank. Onto the story!**

Weiss was a very rational person. Rules and regulations had been part of her life since she'd first been put in her cradle, and she followed them whenever she was able. In fact, she had been the only one in all of Beacon to read the student handbook. She'd found it drab and far too wordy for her liking (not to mention the several grammatical errors that she'd reported to the school's administration). Still, she'd suffered through it because there was no way she was going to be kicked out of Beacon for breaking some obscure rule.

Yet despite her natural inclination, Weiss had gained a reputation at Beacon for being short-tempered. Yes, you heard me, "short-tempered." Her, Weiss _Schnee_! If her peers had any sense, they would realize that it wasn't her that was the problem, but her insane teammates! How could she stay calm when she spent nearly every waking moment with those degenerates? They were lucky she hadn't gone completely insane!

So really, who could blame her for turning Yang into a human-sized popsicle? The brute had thrown a bucket of ice cold water on her _in her sleep!_

Weiss sighed and picked up another dirty plate from the towering stack beside her. She dunked it into the sink's soapy water, wiped it clean with a dishrag, then set it in the industrial-sized rack to dry.

 _'At least the headmistress had enough sense to separate us. I don't even want to look at Yang right now. Or her clumsy sister, for that matter.'_

Sighing (again), Weiss, grabbed a plate, dunked it into the water, cleaned it, and set it along the two-hundred and fifty-two other sparkling plates. _'This is so unfair.'_

* * *

"This is so fun! Come on, Blake, you have to try it!" An energetic blond gave a radiant smile to her favorite feline faunus, twirling her mop around as if it were a dance partner. The raven-haired woman merely quirked an eyebrow before returning her gaze to her book.

Yang frowned for a moment before shifting her weight and leaning on the mop. "Blaaakkkeeee, you promised you'd help me clean up," she complained dramatically. "You _were_ the one to offer, after all."

"I am helping," the cat-faunus claimed, not bothering to look up. A disbelieving scoff followed, but Blake remained stubbornly silent.

"...Okay, I'll bite. _How_ are you helping?"

Amber eyes darted up to meet amethyst, and a barely-noticeable smile pulled at the corner of Blake's lips. "Motivational support," she quipped.

"I know cats are lazy but- _OW!_ " Yang rubbed her head as Blake's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Okay, okay! No cat references, got it. Did you really have to throw a book, though? Those things are surprisingly hard."

Blake stared unapologetically, crossing her arms to drive her point home. Yang chuckled lightly before retrieving the book and holding it out to her with a good-natured smile. Blake remained impassive for a full minute, then two, but that smile never wavered. Finally, nimble fingers snatched the book away and opened it to the most recent page, almost by memory. Blake's immersed herself back into the literary world, ignoring the triumphant grin she knew Yang was sporting.

 _'I don't know why I put up with her,'_ Blake thought, hiding a tiny smile. _'Still,_ _she seems sincere this time. I'd say... eight minutes until another cat joke. Give or take thirty seconds.'_

Meanwhile, Yang threw herself back into mopping, determined to finish up this classroom and get the rest done before nightfall. Soon enough, the floor was shining like new. Well, maybe not "new", but close enough for her tastes. _'Six down, thirty-something to go!'_

* * *

Weiss wearily placed the final dish in the rack, drying her wrinkled hands on a nearby rag. _'I am never going to complain about a cafeteria worker again,'_ she decided. After a moment, she regained her senses and amended her statement. _'Unless they_ really _deserve it.'_

With that thought, she drained the sink, wiped up the water that had spilled onto the counter, and stepped back to survey her work. Hundreds of pristine white plates, spotless bowls, and crystal-clear glasses sat in racks, waiting for the next day's meals. Beside them, countless pieces of silverware gleamed from their trays. Satisfied, Weiss turned on her heel, briskly walking through the kitchen doors and into the cafeteria. _'Now that I'm done, maybe I can get started on the essay for-'_

Weiss stopped dead as she caught sight of her team leader in the abandoned room. Her brow furrowed on its own accord and she opened her mouth to berate the girl, but the anger left her once she observed the scene before her.

The main lights were off and the sun was just beginning its descent below the horizon, casting an orange glow through the cafeteria's windows. The fading light showcased little dust particles as they slowly danced around the room. Meanwhile, Ruby was lying face-up on one of the benches, twisting and turning from side to side as she played a game on her scroll. It was honestly a beautiful scene. Give or take a dolt.

' _Honestly,'_ Wiess thought, " _it's a wonder that she hasn't fallen off yet."_

Brushing that thought aside, she took in the comfortable silence (Ruby was wearing headphones) and accepted the fact that she would hate herself if she was the one to ruin the peaceful mood. As much as she wanted to finish the scolding she'd started the previous day, she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to ignore the girl, either. Rather than passing by without a second thought (as she would've any other day), the heiress slowly approached and cleared her throat.

A second later, Ruby was sprawled across the floor. "Ow."

Weiss rolled her eyes. _'Of course.'_

The world's most likable Schnee considered giving her hopeless leader a hand, but in a blur of rose petals, she was up again. Ruby yanked off her headphones and shot Weiss a huge smile to hide her embarrassment.

"Weiss! What are you doing here? I mean- uh, how are you? Because I know why you're here, but I don't know the other thing. Well, actually I kinda do because you had to do dishes and who likes doing dishes? But I had to say something and I didn't have a lot of time to think... Wait, that's not right. I _did_ have time to think- a few hours actually - but I didn't think about what I'd say when you actually came out! Not that I played games the entire time- I actually..."

The huntress-in-training blabbered on, but Weiss was no longer listening. Rather, her expression grew somber as a single thought echoed quietly through her mind. _'Has she been waiting here this entire time?'_

"-so I have to go get them, okay? Great! _Gotta go, bye!_ "

' _Wait, what?'_ Weiss opened her mouth to ask for the girl to back up a few seconds, but she found herself literally choking on rose petals as she blurred away. Weiss spat them out and shuddered- she _really_ didn't want to know where those things came from- before looking around disbelievingly.

"What in the name of _dust_ just happened?" she demanded from the empty room.

* * *

Ruby shot through the halls of Beacon like a bullet train on steroids - or Zwei that one time they gave him coffee from Coco's secret stash. (You didn't hear that from me.) In the blink of an eye, she was out of Beacon's grounds and streaking through the Emerald Forest. Leaves flew and branches bent dramatically in her wake as she attempted to outrun the setting sun. Unfortunately, not even she was that fast.

Ruby frowned as the day's light weakened and died. She hadn't wanted to be out here in the dark, but it couldn't be avoided now. She pushed herself a little harder, suddenly grateful for the endurance training Glynda had forced on her class. (Not that she was stupid enough to thank the headmistress directly. That would practically be begging for more laps.)

As the girl nimbly avoided roots and fallen branches, she decided that she would thank Blake, though. Her favorite ninja had given her a few pointers on keeping her footing in exchange for dirt on Yang. Quite frankly, Ruby would've been happy to do it for free. Weiss had _somehow_ learned that Ruby used to sleep with Crescent Rose and only stopped after she'd woken up with a new haircut and a shredded pillow.

The heiress _still_ brought it up whenever she could get away with it.

Ruby sighed and pulled to a stop as clouds passed over the shattered moon and shrouded the area in darkness. She slowed her breathing and activated her protective aura, waiting for her eyes to adjust. _'Hmm… A girl in a bright red hood goes into a dark forest alone. Sounds like the intro to a fairytale… or my very own action movie.'_ The girl rested her hand on her loyal scythe and threw on a cocky grin that would've made Yang proud. The tree in front of her was very impressed. Meanwhile, the night only grew darker.

After what felt like an eternity to the young huntress (thirty seconds), she gave up on waiting. Closing her eyes, Ruby tapped into her aura and let it envelop her completely. When she opened her eyes, the surrounding forest was bathed in soft red light. So were the beowolves.

 _ **Years Earlier**_

 _"So I can glow like Yang?"_

 _"Yes and no," Qrow replied, beginning to walk back and forth as he slipped from fun uncle into teacher mode. He mulled over her question for a bit, trying to find the best way to answer it and as many follow-up questions as possible. Meanwhile, Ruby occupied herself by trying unsuccessfully to glow. Her eyes, which had been screwed shut with concentration, snapped back up to meet her uncle's as he let out an exaggerated cough. Satisfied that he'd gotten her attention, Qrow began his lecture._

 _"Anyone can 'glow' if they've been trained to. Yang… is something else. Her semblance lets her catch fire, but only if she gets angry. She- Hold on, pipsqueak. Save all questions for the end. Now, where was I? Right. Yang does have a warm setting, as you and everyone who's had her rib-cracking hugs knows. But, she needs to be in the right mood for that to work, too. Ever notice that she's never above average when she's tired or sad?" Ruby cocked her head to the side for a second, then nodded. Qrow made a noise somewhere between a hum and a grunt in response._

 _"So, pipsqueak, Yang has her semblance and her glow. Hey! What did I say? Questions at the end. To answer your question- Yes, I know what you were going to ask- there_ is _a difference. This 'glow' doesn't protect you, and it doesn't help you fight. It also makes you stand out more than a beggar in an Atlesian dinner party. But, it takes almost no energy to keep running, you can do it with a level head, and it can be a good reminder of who you are."_

 _This time, no amount of protesting could keep Ruby from cutting in, so Qrow didn't even try. Since this is Ruby we're talking about, the question was incredibly well thought out and delivered with the utmost grace. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _"It means,_ Ruby, _" he started, putting particular emphasis on her name, "that when you're in a fight, there's more than one way for things to get dark. The glow itself shows a bit your personality through little things like color and intensity. It can help you… center yourself. That's the theory, anyway." Qrow took a sip from his flask and carried on with the lesson. "There's more to it, though. Don't ask me how, but the glow transmits information about the important parts of your identity. Only another aura-user can get the details, but even Grimm get the general stuff."_

 _"Like…" Ruby prodded._

 _The huntsman sighed, glanced at the slowly setting sun, and resigned himself to his fate. Maybe Tai would let him crash on his couch for the night. "Well, when experienced huntsmen and huntresses light up, lesser Grimm tend to back off. Of course, that kind of fighter would probably find it easier to cut them down than bother with the lightshow." Qrow paused with a thoughtful expression on his face, then shrugged. "It comes in handy when you have a hangover and don't feel like cleaning your weapon, though."_

 _Qrow fought back a smile as Ruby's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "So if you're strong enough, they won't even try to attack?" she asked in an awed voice. "Is there a limit? Like, if you're completely awesome, do beowolves and ursa just run away? Can_ **you** _do that?"_

 _A short chuckle from her uncle gave way to a smug smile. "Ruby, if I light up,_ _ **Goliaths**_ _run away."_

 _ **Present Day**_

Ruby smiled at the memory of one of her favorite lessons from Qrow while she took in the danger surrounding her. _'Let's see, two, three, four, those three by that bush over there... piece of cake.'_ She noted with some satisfaction that none of the beowolves dared to move more than a step towards her at a time. Well, with one exception.

In the blink of an eye, the beowolf that had been sneaking up behind her was cut in two. The others began to rush in, but Ruby channeled a little more of her aura, releasing a bright pulse of light that stopped them in their tracks.

The monsters snarled and clawed at the ground, but she paid them no mind. Planting the spiked shaft of Crescent Rose deep into the ground, Ruby walked forward without her weapon. She was a little disappointed to notice that while the creatures tensed up and shifted away, they refused to give ground. She pushed the feeling away and stopped a few feet away from their leader.

"Well?"

The lead beowolf, hungry and stupid, lunged at the girl. The dimwitted creature's had just enough time to realize that its prey had vanished before one-hundred and ten pounds of adorable fluff- and toned muscle- landed directly on its face.

The second beowolf was smarter. It watched the human use the first one's head as a springboard to flip back a few feet. Then, it rushed in with two of its den-mates, wanting to overpower the prey while avoiding a caved-in skull.

Sadly, "smart" is a relative term. You see, beowolves number three, four, and five had forgotten about the human's weapon, which was only an arm's length away from the girl thanks to that little flip. So, where there were once three grimm, there were now six halves.

The rest of the pack howled angrily, which gave the 'prey' time to speed forward and introduce her scythe to another beowolf's neck. Before the head hit the ground, the final two were breathing through new holes in their chests, courtesy of a few expertly-placed shots from Crescent Rose. Ruby returned her trusty weapon to her belt and sped away even faster than before, hoping to make up for lost time.

 _'Twelve seconds to get them all. I can almost hear Glynda ordering more laps.'_

* * *

Yang smacked the wet mop down and swiped the floor with half-hearted strokes. She pointedly avoided looking at the windows, not that she'd be able to see much through the darkness. That was the problem, actually.

Yang sighed heavily as she finished up yet another classroom. _'Ten more. I never thought it would take so long.'_ the blond found that she couldn't contain her frustration, so she didn't even try. "UGH!" She slammed the end of the mop into the water bucket, ignoring how the soapy water splashed on the janitor's cart.

Slightly reddened eyes stared deep into the swirling water as the brawler frowned at her reflection. "Sorry, Blake. It's already dark, and you're stuck here _babysitting_. I'm sure you're bored and probably hungry, so..." Breaking off with a sad sigh, Yang closed her eyes and wished for the best. "You can leave if you want."

Yang took a breath to brace herself, but she didn't get the hesitant agreement she dreaded _or_ the outright refusal she was hoping for. She could hear the seconds ticking by (courtesy of a wall-mounted clock), but her friend's voice didn't break the unwelcome silence.

"Blake?"

The blonde looked over to the professor's desk, but the faunus wasn't there. A glance to the other side of the room made her heart drop to her boots. "...Blake?" she called, hating how small her voice sounded.

The clock ticked on, uncaring.

* * *

Blake closed the janitor's closet and walked down the hall with a bounce in her step and the beginnings of a smile on her face, softly humming a tune. It was abruptly cut off when she saw blond hair coming the opposite way. Out of habit, she moderated her stride and hid her feelings behind a mask of stoicism. In no time, her friend was only a meter away.

"Hi, Blake," her classmate said. The greeting was friendly enough, but the blond kept walking, obviously not expecting a longer conversation.

"Hello, Jaune," the girl answered, internally wincing at how flat her voice sounded.

The facade had become instinctual during her time in the White Fang. Blake's reservations about killing hadn't make her popular among the other recruits, and after a certain point, it had become easier to hide her beliefs, her views, her... personality.

 _'But I'm at Beacon now. These people are supposed to be- No, these people_ _ **are**_ _my friends.'_ More than anything, it was that thought which made her speak up again.

"Jaune," she called, turning to face the boy, who nearly tripped before turning around with the widest eyes she'd ever seen on a human. It was almost enough to make Blake laugh, but the look of sheer shock on his face cut her to the core. "Uh... how are you?"

The boy in question stood gaping like a fish for a few seconds before answering. "Me? I'm good. Great! ...How are you?"

It was out of her mouth before she knew it. The same "I'm fine" that she always used when someone asked her that question. Needless to say, her response didn't do anything to clear the awkward air between the two.

The young hunter rubbed his elbow nervously as the silence grew deafening. Realizing that it was up to him to lead their little talk forward, he desperately searched for something to say. "So... you're still in your school uniform. That's... cool. I guess."

After both parties took a moment to appreciate how terrible that conversation starter was, Blake answered. "Right. Professor Goodwitch assigned Yang to the cleaning crew for the day, and I've been keeping her company. She's been at it since class ended, so neither of us have had a chance to change."

"Wow. I can't believe she only got a day. Still, it's been..." Jaune trailed off and checked his scroll, "Wow. She's _still_ working? Do you want me to get you something from the cafeteria or something?"

"It's already closed. Weiss is doing the dishes, actually." Jaune's mouth formed a little "o" at that tidbit of information, but he didn't say anything. Apparently, Blake wasn't the only one who had a hard time imagining Weiss do something so mundane. Finally getting used to the friendly dialogue, she continued. "Besides, we should be done soon anyway. I went ahead and mopped the last few classrooms. I was just returning the cleaning supplies."

"That's... nice," the boy offered, but his mind was elsewhere. When he spoke up again, it was easy for Blake to figure out why. "Maybe I can do some cleaning around the dorm."

The faunus silently prodded him for information, and the troubled leader gave in without a fight. "It's just... Pyrrha and the others _say_ they've forgiven me for all of that stuff with Cardin, but... I feel like I still need to make it up to them. I have to do _something,_ you know?"

Blake mulled over the problem until she was sure her advice was sound, then ran through it again in her had to be sure. Jaune, who had been thoroughly inspecting the floor, raised his head at the sound of her voice.

"First off, I don't think a little mopping will solve the problem."

"...Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No."

"Umm... okay."

"That said, I think you've already gone a long way. You _are_ trying to make amends, and they know it. Just give it a little more time. You'd be surprised how forgiving your teammates can be. I know I was."

"What do you mean?"

Blake smiled a little and straightened her bow, thinking back to the first few weeks at Beacon. "Let's just say that my team accepted a part of me that I thought I'd always have to hide."

"You might not believe me... but I know exactly how that feels."

The two stood in companionable silence for a moment, quietly thanking their teammates. Then, they gave their goodbyes and parted ways. Nothing more needed to be said.

Blake's smile returned in full force, eager to get back to her partner. She had a feeling that Jaune could prove to be a great friend, but nothing could compare to _her_ blonde brawler. She couldn't wait to see the look on Yang's face...

* * *

Wind howled through the streets of Vale, scattering orange, red, and emerald leaves throughout the city. The inhabitants in this particular area barely questioned the mix of vibrant green and the darker fall colors; one got used to it pretty quickly by living at the edge of Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest. Still, rose petals weren't exactly common.

Even so, no one gave much notice to the delicate petals, especially not an agitated, middle-aged man who was just leaving his shop. He'd had a long day, and details like that just didn't matter to him at the moment. Sadly (for him), people were more difficult to ignore.

 _"WAIT!"_

The voice came from far down the street, but the man knew it was for him. It was just that kind of day, apparently. Pretending that he hadn't heard the high-pitched yell, he quickly locked the door and speed-walked in the other direction. _'Don't make eye contact. Maybe she'll go away.'_

He'd made it all of five steps before the infamous Ruby Rose appeared in front of him. He knew it was only a matter of time before she'd show up. Abandoning all pretense, the man pushed past the girl and _sprinted_ , desperately hoping that she'd give up and let him go home.

Not even a second later, he skidded to a stop to avoid crashing into the sixteen-year-old girl and getting into serious legal trouble. Narrowed silver eyes practically dared him to try again.

 _'Screw it.'_ The man cracked his knuckles and tensed his leg muscles. He feigned running right, then left, then right again. Every time, she'd blur over to intercept him faster than he could blink. Finally, he resorted to the oldest trick in the book.

"Look, a distraction!" With that, the baker took off across the street, praying to the pastry gods for mercy. By the time he made it to the center line, he was looking down the barrel of a sniper rifle.

"Bring me my cookies and no one gets hurt," the girl stated, her voice an octave lower than usual.

The man glared at her for a few moments, then let out an irritated sigh, surprisingly unconcerned about the gun in his face. "We're closed."

Ruby threw down her arms in frustration. "But I already paid for them! I used the online checkout thing!"

"Yes, and you had all day to pick them up. Try again tomorrow. I'm going home." With that, the man turned and walked away. Ruby stowed Crescent Rose and followed him back onto the sidewalk, trying to sway him with one last desperate plea.

"It's for a good cause!"

He stopped. "This better not be about finding the world's best cookie."

"It's not! The cookies are for my partner at Beacon. I may have _accidentally_ splashed a little lemonade on her, umm, stab wound. Then we had a fight, and my sister caught us sleeping together, so she dumped a bunch of ice water on top of us! Weiss was SO mad, which is kinda weird, because her family has a thing for ice. "

"You-" the baker started.

"Weiss started yelling and Yang was being Yang. I turned away for a second to figure out where Blake was, but by the time I looked back, Yang was frozen in a block of ice and Weiss was holding Myrtenaster. I guess JNPR heard them yelling because Nora burst in with her warhammer. She saw Yang and screamed something about killer snowmen. I'm not sure what that was about, but she hit Yang so hard that she broke through the wall into another team's room."

"Ok-"

"It probably should've ended there, but it made all of the guys in there jump, and one of them was doing maintenance… on his flamethrower."

Ruby- and the crowd of curious listeners who had gathered at this point- was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, we're probably lucky no one got hurt. Professor Goodwitch wasn't happy about the fire damage, though. Yang and Weiss got detention. …I think that's the first time Weiss has ever gotten detention, and it wasn't even her fault. Well, not completely. Anyway, I need those cookies to cheer her up. Yang used to take me out for sweets whenever I got sad, and it always worked! It's just that Weiss doesn't eat a lot of sugary foods. I knew I had to order from the best bakery in Vale so there's no way she won't like them."

The bright smile that had worked its way onto Ruby's face lost a bit of its luster, and she wasn't able to stop herself from mumbling, "Even though I had to use the rest of my birthday money to pay for it." The silence that followed gave Ruby ample time to imagine the results of coming back empty-handed; she was already pushing it by leaving Weiss waiting for so long. Suddenly, the sidewalk became a lot more interesting.

The aging baker took mercy on the poor girl. He wasn't heartless, and it was obvious that this meant more to her than a late night snack. Besides, the crowd was looking at him like any other answer would be equivalent to signing his own death warrant. "Okay, kid. I'll make an exception just this once."

Ruby's head shot up with a look of pure joy on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah," the baker grumbled, trying to mask his smile. ' _Seriously, do people have to train to get that cute?'_ The crowd broke off with grins and wishes of good luck, allowing the two to walk to the shop. More accurately, the older of the two walked. The younger blurred to the door immediately.

Once inside, the baker made his way to the cooling racks in the back. The two dozen assorted cookies Ruby had ordered were cold. _'Well, that won't do at all.'_ Checking to see that Ruby hadn't snuck in, he waved his hands over the treats and activated his semblance. When they were perfectly soft and gooey, he slid them into a bag and took his position behind the counter. Handing the sweets over, he gave his now-favorite customer a friendly piece of advice. "Next time you call in to place an order, try to get here _before_ we close."

The receipt was checked, goodbyes were said, and the baker closed up shop for the second time that night. Shaking his head with a bittersweet smile, he watched the young huntress disappear into the night.

The other bakers in town had warned him of this Ruby Rose, even going so far as to show him a picture so he would know when to hide. But despite the fact that she had literally held a gun to his face, he was really _warming up_ to her.

* * *

Blake slowly poked her head around the classroom door, her narrowed eyes scanning all that she could see inside. Above raven locks, a little black bow swiveled around as Blake's ears homed in on any unfamiliar sounds. Sensing nothing, she cautiously set one foot inside, then froze, subconsciously flattening her ears. When nothing jumped out at her, an arm followed, then the rest of her slipped through the entrance.

The room was empty.

Blake blinked, realizing that (a) in the time it took Blake to finish the last rooms, Yang had moved on, and (b) her entrance had been completely ridiculous. Thanking whatever deities ruled Remnant that no one had seen it, Blake moved towards the next classroom. _'Well, looks like I won't be able to see the surprise on her face. It's strange that she didn't come find me after seeing the clean floors, but maybe she's waiting for me.'_

The next room's floors were still wet. _'Oh no,'_ Blake thought anxiously as she rushed out. She found Yang two classrooms down the hall, practically attacking the hardwood floor with her mop, eyes bright red. Guilt swept over the faunus like a tsunami. _'Great job, Belladona!'_ the faunus thought sarcastically. _'Ditch your partner with no explanation. It's not like she'd mind being abandoned. After all, her past certainly wouldn't make her more sensitive to that kind of thing.'_

Blake shook her head clear and focused on her partner. "Yang?" No response. "I can explain."

Yang was able to stop herself from yelling, barely. "What, you were taking a really long bathroom break?" She dunked her mop into the bucked and continued to clean the spotless floor. "I don't need an explanation, Blake. I just wish you would have told me before leaving like that."

Under her bow, Blake's ears flattened. "I'm sorry. It was stupid. Just… can you look at the floor? Please."

"I AM looking. I have been for HOURS!"

"Yang, please."

"Fine! There, I'm looking! Now what am I supp-" Yang cut herself off mid-sentence as she noticed the way the hardwood sparkled- even in places she hadn't touched. "Oh."

"I, uh, went ahead and mopped the rest of the rooms. I wanted it to be a surprise, but…"

"Yeah. …I guess I didn't notice." It wouldn't be the first time she missed something important in her anger. As her eyes turned from crimson to lilac, Yang accepted that it probably wouldn't be the last, either. _'Still, couldn't she have left a note or something?'_

Blake cleared her throat awkwardly, and the amethyst eyes that had been looking anywhere else suddenly locked with amber ones. The faunus opened her mouth to speak, realized she had no idea what to say, and closed it with an audible click. Now it was her turn to avoid Yang's gaze.

 _Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

"So…" Yang started.

"Yeah…"

 _Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Yang casually reached up to the mounted clock and tossed it out of the nearest open window. "…Want to go check on Weiss?"

"Sure," Blake replied, almost before Yang finished the sentence. She stepped to the side so Yang could pass with the cart, shutting the door behind them. After returning the supplies, the two headed to the cafeteria. The walk was calm and quiet. It was also driving Blake insane. _'She isn't talking. Why isn't she talking?!'_ She'd glace at her partner every few seconds, but the blonde's expression was unreadable.

Yang was in a similar predicament. For once, she couldn't think of anything to say. She'd look at Blake for guidance, but the girl had the same expression for almost everything. (Tuna was an exception. Sadly, Yang didn't have any on hand. That was a mistake she would never make again.)

A few minutes into the walk, a sly smile appeared on Blake's face. Yang caught sight of it by chance, curiosity overshadowing her reluctance to speak. "What's with the smile? If it's another prank, _you're_ taking the fall this time."

Blake slowly turned to meet Yang's eyes. "No, nothing like that. Say, did I ever show you the recording of what happened last night?"

* * *

Weiss sighed for what had to be the millionth time that day. Ruby had been gone for twenty minutes. Looking through the depressingly short list of contacts on her scroll, she concluded that everyone else was either busy or Yang. (Calling Blake would amount to the same thing as going to brute directly. The two may as well have been joined at the hip.) Resisting the urge to count the number of floorboards in the cafeteria again, the heiress returned her scroll to her pocket. _'She better have a good reason for making me wait this long.'_

A few minutes later, Ruby crashed through the cafeteria doors. She was panting heavily, but she carried a triumphant grin. Weiss rushed up to her, eyeing the tears in her combat outfit. There was no blood, thankfully. "Where in the world have you been? I've been waiting for almost half an hour! What happened to your clothes?"

Rather than answering, Ruby held out a crumpled white bag. "These _*pant*_ are for you." With that, the red-clad warrior lumbered over to a table and collapsed into a seat. Weiss gracefully followed her partner, taking a seat on the girl's right. She cautiously opened the bag, prepared for almost anything.

"Cookies? You know I don't eat sweets, right?"

"I had _*pant*_ to fight _*pant*_ a Deathstalker. Eat _*pant*_ the freaking _*pant*_ cookies."

Weiss's eyes narrowed. "Did you target the eyes and stinger?" She asked pointedly. So help her, if Ruby just rushed in-

"Duh!"

Weiss's eyes softened and she make nodded in approval. "Good. Hmm… I've already hit my recommended calorie intake for the day, but I suppose I could try a bite." The heiress reached into the bag, carefully keeping her sleeves away from the edges, and selected a simple chocolate chip cookie. True to her word, she took one small bite of the treat. Silver eyes watched her every move, but she gave nothing away.

"Well?" Ruby asked, half anxious and half hopeful. She leaned forward, eyes shining with anticipation. Weiss said nothing… and took another bite.

"YES!" Ruby yelled. She jumped up onto the table and flung out her arms. "MY NAME IS RUBY ROSE, AND I GOT WEISS SCHNEE TO EAT JUNK FOOD! MANY HAVE TRIED- YANG, NORA, AND ICAN'TTHINKOFANYONEELSEBUTI'MSURETHERE'SSOMEONE- BUT ONLY I, RUBY ROSE, HAVE SUCCEEDED!"

Weiss fought back a smile and rolled her eyes. "Get down, you dolt," she said, trying and failing to keep the fondness out of her voice. The girl hopped back into her seat with a massive smile on her face, all hints of exhaustion gone in an instant. Weiss reached into the bag again, offering a large double chocolate cookie to her partner. When Ruby hesitated, Weiss scoffed. "What? You don't think I'll be able to eat all of these myself, do you?"

Ruby's smile could not get any bigger. "Well, if you insist."

The girls happily munched away until Ruby broke the comfortable silence. "You know what would make these even better?" she asked. Weiss's eyes shot up, all attention on Ruby's next word. "Milk."

Ruby hadn't expected anything to come of her statement. She _certainly_ didn't expect Weiss to stand up decisively and head to the back of the cafeteria, shooting a simple "Follow me" over her shoulder.

In a few moments, the two were standing in front of a glass refrigerator where various beverages were stored. It was locked, which wasn't at all surprising to Weiss; she'd been there when the cafeteria worker closed it up.

"Uh, Weiss? What are we doing?"

"Shush. I need to concentrate." Weiss placed her hand on the lock and closed her eyes. She'd never summoned a glyph so small, and she didn't have Myrtenaster to focus her energy. Still, it only took about a minute before a small _click_ announced her success. The heiress-turned-milk-thief smiled smugly. Not only had she discovered a new use for her semblance, but now she had the means to make the already heavenly cookies even better. She quickly swiped two cartons from the shelves before locking the fridge again. She turned to her partner, who's jaw was doing its best to touch the floor. "What?"

After gaping like a fish for a few minutes (thank goodness Blake wasn't there), Ruby sputtered out her answer. "W-W- _Weiss?_ Isn't that… stealing?"

Weiss blinked. "Oh. Yes, this probably would be considered stealing, wouldn't it? Hmm." The girl shrugged and popped open the nearest cash register with another glyph, taking no small amount of pride in how good she was getting at this. She searched through her wallet, then looked up at her shell-shocked teammate. "Do you have any lien on you? I don't have anything less than a hundred." Ruby dumbly shook her head no. "Well, looks like its someone's lucky day."

The red-themed huntress just stared as her well-born, never-break-a-rule partner threw one hundred lien into the cash register she'd _broken into_ to pay for her _stolen_ drink _._ Before she knew it, Weiss was walking back into the cafeteria proper. "Are you coming, dolt?" the heiress asked, completely oblivious to the source of her partner's surprise. Ruby shook it off. "Yeah." Weiss graciously held the door for her, then escorted the girl back to their seats.

"May I ask where you purchased these cookies? I must admit, they are wonderful. And how did you manage to keep them warm all this time?" she questioned. Weiss then frowned as she tried to fit a piece of cookie through the carton's opening with no success. Ruby reached over and opened the other side of the carton, exposing the milk completely. "Thanks."

"No problem. They're from a bakery called _'Sweeten Her'._ "

Weiss frowned in distaste. "Is that some kind of pun?"

"Not a good one. The store is pretty famous, even with the terrible name. Anyway, I think the baker heated the cookies up or something, because I ordered them hours before I got there. I ran really fast, so they didn't cool down much afterwards."

"You traveled all the way from Vale to Beacon before the cookies could cool? That's impressive. I take it the Deathstalker showed up on your way there, then?"

"Nope," Ruby corrected cheerfully, thoroughly enjoying her cookies and milk (she'd decided that she kind of liked this new side of Weiss). After a few seconds, she focused on her partner again, noting her slightly widened eyes. "Oh, I didn't kill it. I just shot out a few eyes and cut off its stinger. I was going to do what JNPR did back at initiation, but the stinger just bounced off the Deathstalker's armor."

The eyes did not return to normal. "What?" Ruby asked, oblivious.

Weiss probably would've continued to stare for a long time, but the sound of laughter broke her out of her trance. "Wait, that laugh sounds familiar…" The huntress listened more carefully to the approaching noise. A few seconds later, her eyes widened in panic. She sent the cookies and milk shooting up to the cafeteria's ceiling, holding them there with a glyph. She barely had time to hope the junk food was out of sight before Blake and Yang burst through the doors.

* * *

Blake was a genius. Recording Weiss's Ruby-induced high? Pure brilliance. Yang was almost jealous that she hadn't thought of it herself. Of course, she'd been sleeping off her fight with the Sea Grimm at the time… _'Yeah, the beach mission was definitely a mistake.'_

Even better, it got rid of the awkward mood between her and her partner. If nothing else, they could bond over messing with and/or laughing at Weiss. Speaking of…

Yang shoved the cafeteria door open just in time to see her little sister and Weiss assume their "casual" look. Weiss went from 'annoying but caring teammate' to 'aloof heiress'. Ruby went from 'adorable and clumsy amateur badass' to… well, Yang honestly had no idea what Ruby was trying to be. She was sitting on a bench facing the entrance, leaning back against the table. Her legs were crossed and her arms were spread out on the table behind her. The look was completed by a completely straight face and slightly squinted eyes.

Looking up at Yang in a way that was obviously rehearsed (poorly), Ruby greeted her sister with a small nod. "Yo." The room was quiet as the other three girls fought the urge to facepalm.

Surprisingly, Blake was the first to give in. After completing the obligatory motion, she sighed. "Ruby… No. Just no."

The younger girl sat up and tilted her head, unintentionally dropping the façade. "What?" she asked, confused.

Yang cut in, shaking her head in disappointment. "You're obviously hiding something. Come on sis, I taught you better than that." Hearing Weiss scoff, she clarified. "You should at least be able to fool Blake." Cue an eyeroll.

"It wasn't _that_ bad. Right, Weiss?" Ruby asked, looking hopefully to her best friend.

The heiress was torn. On the one hand, those shining silver eyes were difficult to resist, especially after the lengths Ruby had gone to cheer her up. On the other, Weiss wanted to tell her partner exactly how horribly she'd managed to screw up. To help her next time, of course. "It… Well…"

While Weiss was distracted, Blake gently elbowed Yang and pointed to the white glyph spinning above them. She'd heard its faint humming almost as soon as she'd walked in. As Weiss's concentration shifted to Ruby, the glyph began to flicker, revealing something hidden above. Blake looked back at her partner and raised an eyebrow, a silent question. Yang's grin was all the confirmation she needed. With a devious smirk, the faunus slipped into the shadows.

Yang counted to three, then interrupted Weiss's fumbled words. "Hey, Weiss!"

For once, Weiss didn't snap at her. If anything, she looked relieved. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering…" Yang started coyly, barely keeping a straight face as Blake snuck behind the snow princess. "Is it normal to practice your semblance in the cafeteria?"

"What? Wait, where's Bla-"

"Boo."

* * *

Ten minutes later, team RWBY was sitting at one of the cafeteria tables, negotiating the terms of a truce. It had looked like another fight would break out between Weiss and Yang (who had instinctually diverted the attention away from Blake), but one mention of detention had them both ready to compromise. The bag of cookies and milk were on the table between the four girls, slightly crumpled from when Blake had snatched them out of the air. (Not even a drop of milk had hit the floor.) As a show of good faith, Weiss agreed to share the treats once the agreement was set in stone. Ruby's silent pleading was at least ninety-five percent of the reason why she'd done so. Ruby was also the reason why Weiss and Yang were sealing the deal with a pinkie swear, of all things.

"I don't get why I have to say it again. Come on, I already agreed."

"Yang. Xiao. Long. If you don't repeat the swear right now, I'm going to turn you into an ice sculpture."

"Ugh. Fine. I, Yang Xiao Long, swear to never bring up the events of last night. I apologize for dumping ice water on Ruby and Weiss, and I promise not to do it again. Probably. I also swear to never tell anyone that Weiss pigged out on cookies and has the girliest girly-girl scream of all time."

"Ruby ate as much as I did, and there are almost a dozen left! I do not scream like a girl!"

"Yes, you do. Your turn, Ice Queen."

"Brute. I, Weiss Schnee, swear to not 'make moves' on Ruby without Yang's blessing. For the last time, I have no romantic intentions towards her." The heiress watched Yang sigh with relief. Still, she wanted to get back at Yang for altering the wording of the swear. Hiding a smirk, she did the same. "Probably." With that, she unhooked their pinkies and resisted the urge watch Ruby's reaction.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yang exclaimed. "You can't just- she can't just- Blake, back me up!"

To Yang's horror, the cat faunus only smirked and took a cookie. Deciding to make it up to Yang the next day, she responded with a line that always managed to pop up in her favorite books. "All's fair in love and war."

 **A/N: Hi, again. Hope you liked the story. If not, feel free to tell me how to improve. (Or flame. Whatever floats your boat.) I'd also like to thank anyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed. I spent at least half and hour with a stupid smile on my face the first time I got one. Anyway, thanks for reading. See you around.**


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